


Trust is Given

by whiteraven1606



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Injury, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Protectiveness, Rape/Non-con Elements, Teamwork, Torture, Triggers, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 05:46:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/606445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trust, protective urges, and the things a soldier will do to protect a cilivian as much as he is able, even when he's not actually a soldier anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust is Given

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Avengersfest on LJ for ncc1701a.
> 
> There is brief non-con by an OMC villain. Also, talk of triggers and PTSD.

****

Steve found he liked to watch Bruce and Tony working in the floor of labs Tony had more or less given to Bruce. Steve drew them as he sat against the back wall watching them both ease their way into trusting each other with things Steve didn't think they'd be able to handle with anyone else.

After the battle, when Bruce was considering leaving and Steve had been trying to decide if traveling was what he wanted to do he'd overheard Bruce talking to JARVIS about watching out for Tony's triggers. One talk with Clint later and Steve had a new set of vocabulary for the modern way of labeling shell shock. 

Not that Steve hadn't seen things Tony had trouble with. Some Steve understood right off, like the not being handed things. That was an obvious way of targeting a powerful person. Kidnapping was just one sort of threat, after all. 

One of the things that could freeze Tony in his tracks was something Steve still wasn't sure of its origins. Steve could see it about to happen just as Bruce turned from his screen and automatically reached out to steady himself on Tony's arm because Tony had moved to walk behind him and they were about to collide. 

Tony's movements hiccuped and then he sort of stuttered to a stop with Bruce's hand wrapped around his arm. Tony stared past Steve's shoulder as Steve came closer. Bruce was already pulling away as Steve eased Tony down to sit on one of the stools.

Bruce frowned and started to shuffle away. Steve caught him and mentally winced when Bruce stilled instantly.

"Stay. He'll be out of it in a minute. He'll worry if you are gone."

Bruce heaved a sigh and settled on another stool. "I knew he was crossing behind me. I thought he was further away." He rubbed his thumb across the bridge of his nose.

Steve gently leaned Tony into his chest and soothed his fingers down Tony's left arm. "You've both hit a threshold. This sort of thing will happen more for a little while."

"What?" Bruce frowned and un-hunched enough to really look at Steve. "What are you talking about?"

Steve made a rolling motion with his free hand. "Both of you have difficulties with trusting." He shook his head as Bruce started to say something. "I'm not criticizing, okay? I've watched you relax slowly around him and in turn Tony has started accepting you touching him." He smiled. "You remember how long it took him to let me touch him when he wasn't the one to start it."

Bruce looked thoughtful. "Clint was threatening to shove you both into a locked room and wait it out."

Steve smiled at Bruce as Tony started to tense up. "Okay, Tony?"

Tony shoved away from him, looked mortified, and stomped out with a single glance at Bruce. 

Steve settled on the stool Tony had vacated. "He won't be eating dinner."

"How..." Bruce adjusted his glasses. "How do you know that?"

Steve sighed. "Tony refuses to be touched after he has a flashback like that one. He doesn't like food for around six hours after that. I think he has lingering smells or tastes that inhibit him."

Bruce looked towards the door Tony had left through. "You don't know for sure? You haven't pushed him to tell you?"

"No." Steve leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of himself. "He'll tell me when he's ready. Like you'll tell me why you are scared of me sometimes when you feel you can trust me with the information."

"You..." Bruce's eyes narrowed. "How can you tell I'm scared?"

Steve touched the side of his nose. "My nose is near perfect, right along with the rest of me. People that are angry or afraid are distinct to me."

Bruce nodded. "That's why you were so concerned on the Hellicarrier. You could tell I was angry to begin with."

Steve shrugged. "I'd just seen footage of the Hulk before I landed. You were nervous, scared, and angry from the moment I met you."

"You didn't need your nose to know all of that."

With a smile, Steve moved to gather up his art supplies. "No." He stopped beside Bruce. "He'll be back tomorrow or the next day. You didn't hurt him, Bruce."

"I triggered a flashback to something nasty. Yeah, not hurt at all."

Steve gently touched Bruce's arm. "Running water can trigger him. Ice cubes can trigger me. Gunfire in movies bothers you." Steve gestured to the lab in general. "He loves twisting up science into new shapes with you. He'll be back, Bruce."

Steve left Bruce nodding behind him and went to find Tony before he could drink himself into a coma.

****

Tony settled against the headboard of his and Steve's bed and knocked back the last of the scotch he was allowing himself. Too much and he'd be lost inside his nightmares. Too little and he'd never sleep. Tony smacked his lips and felt his fingertips. Yep, just the right amount of numb.

Tony drifted until Steve settled on the edge of the bed. "Go 'way."

Steve sat a sealed bottle of flavored water near Tony's elbow. "Are you sure you want to be by yourself?"

Tony blinked and bit back the automatic response of yes, he know exactly what he wanted, and actually gave it some thought. He crossed his arms over the arc reactor and nearly smiled at the slight hum as it went into his numb fingers. "No."

Steve nodded. "I'll just lay over here." He laid down without reaching for Tony or getting under the covers. Steve spread a thin blanket he kept beside the bed for this sort of thing across himself and turned away from Tony.

"Why do you do that?"

Steve didn't turn back over, but tucked his socked feet up under the edge of the blanket. "Do what?"

"You always face away from me when I'm twitchy."

"I'm on guard, Tony." Steve retest the edge of the blanket so he could keep his hands covered. "You don't feel safe so I'm guarding you."

Tony started to say something suitably aggravating in response, but the alarm to assemble sounded from both their phones. 

****

Later, Steve would dwell over how they managed to end up captured and thrown into a cell that could withstand both him and Thor. Steve hoped they didn't have the Hulk trapped somewhere. He hadn't seen him captured, but then Steve had gone down trying to catch Hawkeye as he'd fallen from his high perch.

At least Clint didn't seem to have broken bones. Natasha had checked him over as soon as Steve had moved away. She was currently holding him down so he couldn't pace like Steve was doing.

The mad scientist that they still didn't have a name for had gloated about having caught them all. Steve was hoping the bastard was lying since Iron Man wasn't in with them. The next best thing would be him and the Hulk together somewhere.

Steve strained his hearing trying to catch any sign of Tony or Bruce. Thor fidgeted against the far wall. He was out of sorts because calling his hammer hadn't worked when he first woke up. Steve had assured him it was probably just the cell they were in and not that the hammer had rejected him again.

Steve ran his hand through his hair. He still wasn't sure how he'd ended up with a team that between them had more insecurities than he'd had illnesses before the serum.

Steve froze as he heard a noise far down the corridor. It sounded low and pained. Moving to the front of the cell, Steve tried to figure out what he was hearing.

****

Tony promised himself when he got out of this he was going to latch onto Steve and not let go. Guarding him, the man had said. Tony pulled on the bindings holding him in place. He could use a guard or two right now. "Hey, asshole! You ready to surrender yet?"

The bad guy had a horrible sense of color for his skin tone. Tony had noticed that must villains tended to look awful in their chosen getups. The guy turned from the counter he was setting things out on that Tony really didn't want to think about.

"Surrender? Isn't that what you should be doing, Iron Man?"

Tony leaned as far away from the guy as he approached as Tony could. He grimaced when the man ran his fingernails from Tony's shoulder down to the arc reactor. "I'm the superhero. We don't surrender."

The madman smiled so evilly that Tony wondered what sort of drugs he was on. "Well, we'll just have to work on that, won't we?" He turned and picked up a strap from the table.

Tony bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something really stupid as Baddie pulled off Tony's shoes and socks. Tony grunted as the strap came up from underneath to hit him across the soles of his feet. 

****

Steve pressed himself against the cell bars as the pained grunts became louder and more pronounced. It sounded like Tony during his worse nightmares before he had started trusting Steve enough to tell him they actually happened. Steve frowned. "Hey! HEY!"

The sounds died down and soon there were footsteps coming towards them. Behind him, Steve could hear Thor push himself upright. Their captor came down the corridor and stopped well out of Steve's reach.

"You bellowed, Captain?"

Steve tightened his hold on the bars. "You said you had the rest of my team, but they aren't here. I want to know they are alright."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sure you can tell Iron Man is still breathing since he was being noisy just now."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Leave him alone."

"How amusing." The man stepped closer. "You don't want him hurt, I can understand that." He inclined his head towards Steve's teammates. "What would you give for me to leave him alone?"

Steve straightened up. "Me."

Snorting, the man crossed his arms. "Oh, I don't think so. I think we all know you can take far more punishment than I have time to inflict."

Hawkeye pushed himself up from Natasha's hold. "I'll go in Iron Man's place."

Steve sidestepped so their captor couldn't see Hawkeye. "No. I won't struggle. You'll have more fun with someone that can stay conscious longer."

The man tapped his finger to his chin. "Hmmm." He pulled a weapon from his belt. "We'll see just how long you last before you pass out."

He fired the weapon and when the beam hit Steve he fell down the cell bars to his knees, his head reeling.

****

Tony squirmed as soon as Baddie left the room. His feet were on fire and he could feel the burn cuts along his limbs where the bastard must have cut off the armor. Tony concentrated on pulling his hand through the cuff holding him, but even if he could pop his thumb out he didn't think he'd be able to do it.

Looking around, Tony tried to find something, anything, that could help him escape. Nothing was loose near him except for the tools Baddie had been picking from to torment him. Tony craned his neck to try to get a decent look at them.

Baddie reappeared dragging a stumbling Steve with him. Tony fumed, but he didn't strain against his bindings. He needed his strength for other things. Tony watched Baddie lead Steve to a nearby bench. Tony tensed up as Baddie had Steve kneel down so he was facing Tony.

Steve's face was slack in a way that told Tony there was drugs or mind altering tech involved. Baddie put restraints on Steve that looked like they could hold the Hulk. Tony tried to catch Steve's eye, but he was unfocused, blinking, and staring ahead.

Baddie came over to Tony and ran his thumb down Tony's cheek. Tony jerked away and would have spat, but Baddie had stepped out of range. "Well, Iron Man. I do think this is fun. I have you unwilling to tell me what I want. While Captain America is willing to put himself in your place so that I will not hurt you further."

Tony flexed his toes and grimaced at the stab of pain through his feet. "No one is giving you what you want."

"Oh, I think you will." He went to his bench. "I think you are just as willing to sacrifice for him as he is for you." Baddie turned from the bench with a box cutter in his hand. "Let's see if he _can_ stay awake like he claimed."

Tony clenched his hands. "Cap?"

Steve blinked and lifted his head enough to look Tony in the eye. "I'll...be fine."

Tony strained towards him as Baddie took ahold of the back of Steve's collar. "Please, don't do this to him."

Baddie just hummed and started cutting through Steve's under-armor. Tony's mind automatically made a note of how hard it was for the blade to cut through. Then the blade hit Steve's skin.

Steve arched trying to get away from the blade and Baddie punched him in the side of the head.

"You will hold still or I will make your teammate sorry for you."

Steve went still with a gasp. He lifted his eyes to Tony's and they watched each other as Steve's clothing was cut off.

Tony rotated his wrists inside the cuffs on him. "Stop it."

Baddie didn't even look up as he ran the point of his blade down the outside of Steve's ribcage. "That isn't want either of us want to hear, Iron Man."

****

Steve pushed his awareness to focus on Tony as their captor cut into Steve's skin. Steve ignored being naked, Tony had seen him all before and Steve wasn't in a position to argue with their captor. The man was giggling when he made a particularly deep cut now. Steve tried to ignore the fiery sting of the cuts and the pull of the pain from being beaten. 

Steve tried to make sure Tony understood he would be fine. They'd get out of this. Steve would heal right up like he normally did. Their captor put down his current blade and picked up something else. Steve frowned as he tried to place what it was as Tony exploded into frantic struggling against his bindings.

The restraints holding Steve down were too strong. Steve's shoulders were sore from pulling against them. All Steve could do was pant as he watched Tony screaming at their captor. Steve couldn't make it all out, the ringing in his ears was blocking some of what Tony was saying. Something about stopping and not doing something.

Steve frowned as he tried to place what Tony was meaning. Steve didn't think he'd done anything he needed to stop. He squirmed, trying to work out why Tony was so frantic. Steve gasped as their captor struck his scrotum where it dangled between his spread legs.

Steve curled trying to protect himself and then cried out as their captor pressed his hand against the small of Steve's back where he'd beaten Steve's skin black and blue. Steve's cry cut off in a shocked gasp as the man shoved something cold against Steve. 

He pressed brutally into Steve as Tony cried, screaming at them. Steve whimpered and blinked as his body started to fade from him. He needed to stay awake for something, he couldn't grasp what it had been, but it didn't matter as he slipped into blackness.

****

Tony screamed himself hoarse as the bastard raped Steve with a dildo. Baddie didn't even look up until he'd gotten the dildo buried deep in Steve. 

"Now you are ready to tell me what I want to know about Stark Industries?"

Tony's chest heaved as Baddie just left the dildo in Steve as he came over to ran his finger around the edge of the arc reactor. Tony leaned forward as much as he could. "Fuck you."

Baddie laughed and moved back over to Steve. "Oh, I don't think so." He hummed some out of tune thing as he started to thrusting into Steve with the dildo.

Tony twisted against the cuffs holding him. "I will get out of this and I will kill you."

Baddie looked up as he twisted the dildo, making Steve's body twitch. "We'll certainly see, won't we? I do believe he lasted longer than any other person I've played with."

Tony pressed as far forward as he could get. "Hurt him again and I will tear you to little pieces."

****

Hulk followed the nosies he could hear that sounded like Star Man. Puny Bruce had told Hulk to find Avengers and help them smash. Hulk turned a corner and stopped because he found Cupid, Red Liar, and Good Hit all together. They rushed towards the bars.

Hulk frowned because Cupid wasn't moving right.

"Hulk." Red Liar reached through the bars and patted the back of Hulk's arm. "Quiet. Stop growling. Please."

Hulk snorted and threaded his fingers through the bars. He could smash Avengers free.

"Wait, wait." Red Liar put her tiny hand on Hulk's finger. "Can you hear Captain Rogers?" She pointed down the direction Hulk hadn't gone yet. "Down there."

Hulk turned his head. "Yes."

"Quiet." She patted his finger. "Hulk, we need you to go down there first. Go smash the bad man that is hurting Captain Rogers."

"Star Man hurt?"

They exchanged looks and Red Liar squeezed his fingers. "Yes, Hulk. He's a lot hurt."

Hulk cocked his head and thought about it. Then he jerked the bars from the wall and took them with him towards Star Man. Hulk could use the bars to hold puny men.

****

Tony screamed even though he had no voice left as Baddie kept hurting Steve. Something gave a great crash some distance and Tony turned his head to look towards the door.

Hulk smashed through the wall next to the door and looked around for a bare moment before grabbing up Baddie and throwing him into a wall. Hulk moved forward slowly and looked over Tony.

"Hurt Spaceman?"

Tony nodded. He tried to speak, but he couldn't get anything out so he nodded towards Steve. 

Hulk turned and frowned at Steve's kneeling body. "Hurt Star Man." Hulk twisted around to glare at the body of Baddie. "Hulk smash."

Tony slumped as the rest of the team came through the broken wall as Hulk smashed the cell bars down onto Baddie. He slumped against Natasha as Clint and Thor worked on freeing Steve.

"It'll be alright, Tony."

He shook his head and pulled his arms in to protect his arc reactor as Natasha freed his arms one by one.

She held him up as his legs trembled. "Yes, it will be. Let's get you and Cap out of here, okay?"

Hulk appeared in front of them. "Hulk take home?" He looked at Tony.

Tony gave him a smile that was more of a grimace as his feet flared pain so bad he stared to drop to his knees.

Hulk caught him and pulled him gently into the crock of Hulk's arm. "No leave Hulk behind again."

Tony's eyebrows drew together as Natasha patted Hulk's bicep.

"We didn't mean to, Hulk. We were captured. Are you alright? Have you seen Thor's hammer?"

Tony quit listening and let the rumble of Hulk's chest lull him away.

****

When Steve woke up he wasn't expecting it to be to the view of Hulk's back. Steve frowned. "What?"

Hulk looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Star Man not dead."

Steve couldn't feel his toes. They must have given him the strongest dosage of pain meds they could. "No, Hulk. Not dead."

Hulk nodded and turned back towards the door. "Good. Hulk let Cupid know." He pushed himself to his feet and carefully ducked through the open door.

Steve stared after him, bewildered, until Natasha appeared in the doorway. "Rescued?"

She nodded as she stepped over the paints and paper Hulk had left on the floor. "Yes, yesterday. Hulk says he won't change back until Stark can talk again." She pulled up a chair beside him. "What do you remember?"

Steve frowned. "All of it until I blacked out."

"Your body has already healed up most of it."

"Yeah." Steve lifted his hand and looked at the IV threaded into the back of it. "Tony? Did he hurt Tony more?"

"No." Natasha tensed up as the Hulk came back into the room. "Hulk smashed the guy before he was done with you."

Hulk grinned at them as he showed his fists. "Hulk smash."

Steve gave him a tired smile. "You did great, buddy."

Hulk blinked and went back to his painting.

Steve listened to Natasha's report until he couldn't focus anymore. He fell asleep watching Hulk paint pictures.

****

Tony patted Bruce's shoulder as he covered his face with his hands. "Thanks."

Bruce took a shuddery breath and lifted his head. "He didn't understand what was happening to Steve. I'm sorry, Tony."

Tony rubbed at his throat. "No sorry." He touched Bruce's elbow. "Wheelchair." He pointed to the wheelchair they were promising he could use to visit Steve, but no one had let him out of his room to get there.

Bruce sighed and got the wheelchair. Tony accepted his fussing as they headed out. Bruce pushed him down the hallway and turned right into Steve's room like he knew where he was going. As soon as Tony's voice was completely healed up he was cornering Bruce about how much Hulk and him shared memories.

Steve was asleep, curled up into more of a ball than Tony had seen him in a long time. Tony pointed at the thermostat until Bruce rolled him over. Tony turned the temperature up closer to what he kept their rooms at for Steve at home.

Tony let Bruce roll him close and then he started to leave. Tony grabbed his sleeve. "Stay."

Bruce pulled the chair closer to the door. "I'll be over here."

Tony grinned and looked at the paintings over Steve's head on the wall. He could see Hulk's green 'H' on the corner of one. Tony looked Steve over.

He leaned close and gingerly touched Steve's hand.

****

Steve came awake in a rush. He held still as he worked out that, yes, he was free. That was right, he'd been in the hospital being guarded by the Hulk for a few days. He opened his eyes to Tony looking down at their hands. He turned his hand over to touch his fingertips to Tony's palm.

"Tony."

Tony gave him a crooked smile. "Hoarse."

Steve pushed himself up in bed. "I'm sorry."

Tony shook his head. "No."

With a nod, Steve grabbed up Tony's hand and held on. "I'll be fine."

Tony went still, but then nodded and squeezed Steve's fingers. "Soldier."

Steve looked down at their hands. "I couldn't let him hurt you more."

Tony pulled one of his feet up onto his other knee and pulled off the slipper. "Healing up."

Steve looked at Tony as he ran his thumb across the sole of Tony's foot. "They give you pain killers?"

With a nod, Tony leaned forward to rest his head next to Steve's hip. "Touch?"

****

Bruce watched from the door as Steve mustered the nerve to let Tony wrap him in a hug. Trust. It was something they were all working on all the time. He fingered the pile of paintings Hulk had done while he waited for both his friends to be awake enough to protect themselves again.

****

It took Steve several weeks, but he was proud of himself as he slipped into bed with Tony. He gotten used to Tony touching more often. Touching the arc reactor more to reassure himself it was still in place. Touching Steve to make sure he wasn't hurting.

Steve had expected his nightmares to feature his torture, but instead they were all of losing Tony in his place. Tony's screams still haunted him. He pulled up the blanket layer he'd been keeping between them and scooted closer to Tony.

"JARVIS, do you think I'll trigger a nightmare if I hold him?" Steve whispered, but he knew JARVIS could hear him just fine.

The lights they kept on now like they hadn't needed for a while, pulsed once. Steve smiled and gently maneuvered Tony into his embrace.

"Thanks, JARVIS." Steve muttered into Tony's hair as he drifted off to the reassuring feeling of a person beside him. He wasn't alone.

****


End file.
